Anglund falls short in making recall ballot

Richard Anglund, who wanted to give pro-gun Democrats an alternative candidate in the Sept. 10 recall election, didn’t qualify for the ballot Monday.

Richard Anglund

Anglund, 76, said he didn’t get the 1,000 Democratic voter signatures he needed to qualify for the ballot in the special election for state Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo.

That leaves just Republican George Rivera, a retired Pueblo deputy police chief, as the only alternative candidate on the ballot.

Anglund said he is a qualified write-in candidate for his supporters.

The retired math teacher and former City Council member declined to say how many signatures he was able to collect.

He disagreed with Giron for supporting three new gun-control laws this year and said other Democrats who opposed gun control should have a candidate reflecting their views.

It was a lawsuit by Anglund and Gordon Butt, of Colorado Springs, that challenged the mail-ballot election that was set to take place in the recall elections of Giron and state Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs.

Denver District Judge Robert McGahey ruled on Aug. 12 that the state constitution requires that any alternative candidates have until 15 days before the election to try and petition onto the ballot. That deadline was today.

McGahey’s decision meant that Pueblo and El Paso county election officials could not send out mail recall ballots as planned and would have to operate a polling place election instead.

Pueblo County Clerk Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz reported at the time that the decision meant throwing away about 100,000 ballot envelopes marked “recall election.”